Skyline carriage locking means and release therefor



E. O. NAUD Jan. 30, 1962 SKYLINE CARRIAGE LOCKING MEANS AND RELEASE THEREFOR Filed June 20, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ERNEST O. NAUD E. O. NAUD Jan. 30, 1962 SKYLINE CARRIAGE LOCKING MEANS AND RELEASE THEREFOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 20, 1960 INVENTOR ERNEST O- NAUD 7 Mac 6%,

Uted States My invention relates to improvements in skyline oarriage locking means and release therefor.

An object of the invention is to provide means whereby a load supporting carriage, particularly of the type used in the lo ging industry, may be securely locked to the cable track upon which it runs so that it cannot become accidentally dislodged therefrom.

Further objects are to provide means which will automatically release the locking mechanism as the carriage moves past a hanger supporting the skyline and to ensure that said mechanism is released and reset quickly and easily without the necessity of decreasing the normal travelling speed of the carriage.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation showing the sky-line supported by a hanger with the carriage on the skyline.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the hanger.

FIGURE 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the hanger saddle and showing an end portion of the cam track.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged section taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the plunger and the guide therefor.

FIGURE 7 is a sectional plan taken on the line 77 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of the bearing block for supporting the cam wheel.

FIGURE 9 is a plan View, on an enlarged scale, oi looking pin.

FIGURES 10 and 11 are elevational views, part in section, showing the sequence of movements as the carriage moves across the skyline hanger.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

The numeral 10 indicates an overhead cable or skyline which is strung between two widely spaced anchorages so as to provide a path of travel for a carriage 12. At suitably spaced intervals of its length the cable 10 is supported by hangers 14, which are secured to the tops of spar trees or other towers, not shown.

Each hang-er 14 consists of a reversely curved arm 15 which is fitted at its lower end with a horizontally extending shaft 16. An elongated saddle 18 is rockingly mounted on the shaft 16 and is provided on its upper edge with a longitudinal groove 19 in which the cable 10 is seated. The saddle 18 is fitted with a cam track 20 which is preferably formed by a band of resilient metal having a centre portion 21 disposed in close proximity to the top of the shaft 16. On each side of the shaft 16, the cam track 20 falls towards the downwardly curved end 22 of the metal band. Adjacent each end 22 of the cam track is provided with an oiiset portion 23 which, as shown in FIGURES 4 and 10, slopes downwardly from the free edge of the b and towards the saddle 18.

The cable 10 supported by the hangers 14 provides a track along which the skyline carriage 12 is adapted to travel. The carriage is provided with spaced side plates 26 and 27 which are connected intermediate their height by a web 28 and above said web the plate 26 is offset as at 29. A top plate 31 is carried by the side plate 26 and depending from the top plate is a vertical flange 32. The

atent 3,613,738 Patented Jan. 30, 1962 ice v ride upon said cable are a pair of tandem sheaves 35.

Beneath the web 28 a pair of sheaves 38 are journalled between the carriage side plates and trained over one of said sheaves is a main line 40 which extends to a suitable winding engine. The line 40 is fitted with a fall block 41 which is adapted to be lowered to the ground to pick up the log load. In its raised position the fall block is locked within the carriage by means of latching arms 42 and obviously when the main line is wound in with the fall block raised, the carriage will be moved along the skyline 10 towards the winding drum. A haul back line 43 is secured to either the carriage 12 or the fall block 41 so that the carriage may be moved along the skyline away from the winding drum. The mechanism for raising and latching the fall block does not form an essential part of the present invention and detailed description of this portion of the carriage structure is not deemed to be necessary.

Secured to the vertical flange 32 adjacent each end of the carriage is a guide 47 which is fitted with vertically spaced rollers 48. Mounted in the guide is a plunger 49 the lower end of which is normally disposed substantially in the same honzontal place as the upper edge 51 of the carriage side plate 7.7. The outer face of the plunger 49 is fitted with forwardly projecting arms 53 which are provided, at their outer ends, with aligned bearings 54 and journalled in said bearings are the trunnions 55 of a hearing block 56. An opening 58 is formed in the bearing block to extend through from the blocks vertical inner face 59 to its arcuate outer face 60 and on the top of said block a lug 61 is formed. A cam wheel 63 having a dished centre portion 64, is journalled in the block '56 with its axle 65 being received in the opening 58. A spring 66 is interposed between the lower end of the plunger 49 and the wheel, see particularly FIGURE 5. The plunger 49 has a horizontal opening 67 which normally registers with a recess 68 formed in the vertical flange 32. A locking pin 70 is slidably mounted in the opening 67 and the pin has a stop collar 71 which bear against the plunger when the inner end of the said pin is lodged within the recess 68. The pin 70 has a forked outer end 73 which is provided with a hinge 74 and a pivot pin 75 serves to connect the end 73 to the lug 61 on the bearing block 56. A spring 77 is secured as at 78 to the flange 32, see FIG- URE l, and the ends 79 of the spring are connected to the plungers 49 as at 80 so as to hold the peripheries of the wheels 63 in resilient contact with the upper edge 51 of the plate 27.

As the carriage 12 is moved along the cable 10 by either the main or haul back lines said cable is firmly locked within the groove 34 by the plungers 49 which are held against vertical movement by the locking pins 70. However in order to clear the shaft 16 of the hangers 12 it is necessary to unlock and raise the plungers and this is done in the following manner. As each wheel in turn comes into contact with the leading end 22 of the cam track 20 it rides up on to said track and in so doing depresses the free end of the resilient metal band. The initial shock of the wheel engaging the track is absorbed by the band and the wheel rolls therealong to engage the oifset portion 23. The offset portion rocks the Wheel about the trunnions 55 to the inclined position shown in FIG- URE 10 whereupon the locking pin 70 is withdrawn from the recess 68. While still in the inclined position the wheel rolls up on to the centre portion 21 of the cam track and in so doing exerts a lifting force on the plunger which raises it to the position shown in FIGURE 11. In the raised position the plunger and the wheel carried thereby are disposed above the shaft 16 of the hanger and said shaft is free to traverse the groove 34 without obstruction. The cam track at this time is disposed in close proximity to the upper edge 51 of the carriage side plate 27 so that even with the wheel in raised position the carriage cannot become dislodged from the skyline or the hanger saddle. As the Wheel rolls from the portion 21 to the trailing end of the cam track the spring 77 coacts with said track to return the plunger to its original position extending across the groove. The wheel on leaving the trailing end of the track is swung by the action of the spring 66 back to a vertical position and this movement enters the locking pin 70 into the recess 68 so that the plunger is again locked against movement vertically of the flange 32. It will be noticed that the lifting force applied by the cam track to the wheel is exerted substantially in the same vertical plane as the plunger so that there is no likelihood of the plunger binding in its guides.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a carriage adapted to travel along a skyline supported by a hanger, said carriage having a side member provided with a groove through which the skyline longitudinally extends, a guide carried by the carriage side member, a plunger slidably mounted in the guide and normally extending across the groove, means for locking the plunger against movement relative to the guide, a cam member, means pivotably connecting the cam member to the plunger, means operatively connecting the cam member to the plunger locking means and a cam track carried by the hanger adapted to coact with the cam member to release the locking means and actuate the plunger.

2. Structure as claimed in claim 1 and resilient means urging the plunger to normally extended position.

3. In a carriage adapted to travel along a skyline supported by a hanger, said carriage having a side member provided with a groove through which the skyline longitudinally extends, a guide carried by the carriage side member, a plunger slidably mounted in the guide and normally extending across the groove, means for locking the plunger against movement relative to the guide, an arm extending from the outer face of the plunger, a pivot pin supported by the arm and extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the carriage, a cam member mounted on the pivot pin, means operatively connecting the cam member to the plunger locking means and a cam track carried by the hanger adapted to be engaged by the cam member as the carriage passes the hanger.

4. Structure as claimed in claim 3 wherein said cam track has an offset portion adapted to rock the cam member about the pivot pin.

5. In a carriage adapted to travel along a skyline supported by a hanger, said carriage having a side member provided with a groove through which the skyline longitudinally extends, a guide carried by the carriage side member, a plunger slidably mounted in the guide and normally extending across the groove, said plunger having an opening, a locking pin slidably mounted in the opening, said carriage side member having a recess in which the inner end of the locking pin is normally received, a cam member, means pivotally connecting the cam member to the plunger, means operatively connecting the locking pin to the cam member and a cam track carried by the hanger adapted to coact with the cam member as the carriage passes the hanger whereby to withdraw the locking pin from the recess and actuate the plunger.

6. Structure as claimed in claim 5 and spring means urging the locking pin into engagement with the recess.

7. In a carriage adapted to travel along a skyline supported by a hanger, said carriage having a side member provided with a groove through which the skyline longitudinally extends, a guide carried by the carriage side member, a plunger slidably mounted in the guide and normally extending across the groove, said plunger having an opening, a locking pin slidably mounted in the opening, said carriage side member having a recess in which the inner end of the locking pin is normally received, said plunger having transversely spaced arms, a pivot pin supported by the arms, a bearing block rockingly mounted on the pivot pin, a cam member journalled in the bearing block, means operatively connecting the locking pin to the bearing block, a spring urging the locking pin into engagement with the recess and a cam track carried by the hanger adapted to be engaged by the cam member as the carriage passes the hanger.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,075,600 Nelson Oct. 14, 1913 1,161,695 La Forest Nov. 23, 1915 1,237,067v Lawless Aug. 14, 1917 1,497,681 Gutenkunst June 17, 1924 

